Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 605

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 605

The grant opportunity "Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number PAR 18 605) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) discretionary grant that supports transdisciplinary research aimed at improving how clinicians and researchers measure cognitive changes that can occur after cancer treatment, commonly referred to as "chemobrain." The central idea is to bring cognitive neuroscience tools and concepts into survivorship research so that cognitive impairment is not only detected more reliably, but also characterized in a way that makes clinical assessments more meaningful and useful for patient care.

This FOA focuses on cognitive changes following exposure to adjuvant chemotherapy and newer molecularly targeted treatments, including hormonal therapy, in people treated for non-central nervous system tumors. In practice, that means the program is concerned with cognitive outcomes among survivors whose cancer is not in the brain or spinal cord, but who may still experience attention, memory, executive function, processing speed, or other thinking-related difficulties during treatment (acute effects) or months to years afterward (late effects). By encouraging studies that clarify the timing, nature, and mechanisms of these changes, the NIH is signaling an interest in better clinical assessment protocols that can feed into stronger survivorship care plans, such as monitoring schedules, referral pathways, and tailored supportive interventions.

A key feature of the opportunity is its emphasis on improving "traditional measurement" of cognitive impairment. Many standard approaches rely on brief screening tools, self-report questionnaires, or neuropsychological tests that may not capture subtle, treatment-related shifts in cognition or may fail to connect test performance to real-world functioning. The FOA therefore encourages applicants to leverage cognitive neuroscience approaches that can refine measurement, improve sensitivity, and better link observed deficits to underlying cognitive processes. While the announcement does not prescribe specific methods in the provided text, the framing strongly suggests interest in approaches that can disentangle domains of cognition, identify specific processing deficits, and support more precise, clinically actionable assessment strategies. The mechanism is R01, which typically supports substantial multi-year research projects, and the FOA is "clinical trial optional," meaning applicants may propose either observational/mechanistic studies or clinical trial designs if appropriate to the research aims.

In terms of administrative details, this is a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) in the Education and Health activity area, with CFDA number 93.395. The original closing date listed is April 11, 2019, and the creation date is January 30, 2018. An award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the source information provided, which usually means applicants would need to consult the full FOA and NIH institute budgets to understand typical award sizes and paylines.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; tribal organizations other than federally recognized governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities. The FOA also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This wide eligibility aligns with the transdisciplinary intent of the program and supports partnerships among academic researchers, healthcare systems, community organizations, and other stakeholders involved in survivorship.

Overall, the opportunity is designed to push the field beyond broad or inconsistent definitions of post-treatment cognitive impairment by grounding assessment in cognitive neuroscience. The anticipated payoff is better detection and characterization of cognitive effects related to chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted treatments in non-CNS cancer survivors, ultimately enabling clinicians to monitor cognition more effectively and incorporate clearer guidance into survivorship care planning.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Leveraging Cognitive Neuroscience to Improve Assessment of Cancer Treatment-Related Cognitive Impairment (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.395.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-01-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-04-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 18 605

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